Japan to Laos visa requirements

Japanese ordinary passport holders can visit Laos visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism. No visa or eVisa is needed for short stays. As of 2026, Japanese citizens holding ordinary passports do not need a visa for tourist or short visits to Laos. Effective 1 June 2025, Laos doubled its visa-free stay for Japanese tourists from 15 to 30 days, a change announced during Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith's visit to Japan. Japan and Laos have had a unilateral visa exemption for Japanese ordinary passport holders since 1 January 2007 (originally 15 days). Diplomatic and official passport holders enjoy a longer 90-day exemption under a bilateral agreement effective 1 April 2015. The 30-day visa-free entry applies at Laos's international airports (Wattay/Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse, Savannakhet), as well as designated land border crossings and river ports. Travelers should hold a passport valid for at least 6 months with two blank pages. For stays longer than 30 days, Japanese travelers can use the official Lao eVisa (laoevisa.gov.la) or visa on arrival, both of which grant up to 30 days and are extendable; the eVisa is valid for 60 days from issuance and permits a 30-day stay. Stays exceeding 15 days may require temporary residence registration with local police, which hotels typically handle. Laos is not in the Schengen area, so Schengen 90/180 and ETIAS rules do not apply.